Help, I don't know how I'm going to afford college!!!?
I have been and still am in the same boat as you. My mother lives off of welfare, with five children (4 of us are older and have moved out). My dad mooches off of his girlfriend and hasn't worked in years. I have no help at all. But I am going to college right now. I made good grades as well, and that does help. You should duel enroll at high school, which means that your high school will pay for your college while you are going to high school. I did this my senior year and wished I had started in tenth or at least eleventh grade. Some people I know graduated high school with their AA degree and had everything paid for, even the books which you have to keep in good shape and give back to the high school after you complete the class. Basically, you'll choose college classes that substitute some of your high school classes, and it still counts as credits for high school. I substituted my high school English class senior year for Comm1 in college, etc etc. I also did this with my Algebra class, I take college algebra instead. I took most of my classes online, but you have the motivation to do that, or else you should take classes in school. Especially with any math class, it's hard to motivate yourself for that. Anyway, after senior year, I filled out the FAFSA to receive Financial Aid. You can fill it out online (which is what I did) or fill it out at the college or what not. You will need tax and income information on one of your parents. Even if you don't live with your parents, since you are under 24 they still want to see one parent's income. I haven't lived with my mother for years but I still give them her info, and they don't care that I don't live with her. My boyfriend didn't have any contact with his mother, so he wrote a letter to the financial aid office and they let him file as an independent, but regardless you can probably get your parents info. Email me if you have any questions, I have experience with this!! Also, apply for any scholarships and do it before deadlines. Bright Future's is a good scholarship, I don't know if they offer it in your state though. And make an appointment with your high school guidance counselor about all of this, they will help you with everything! Never give up on your dreams! Be something more, so you won't have to live the life of your parent's, don't waste your life! If you have children one day, give them the life your parent's could not give you!
Do i have a chance of getting into college?
Im a senior and I pretty much took the average classes and ap history and english course. I think you made a wise choice in dropping classes. It will show the universities that you know your working ability and your boundaries. But it seems like you set your self up with too many difficult classes. It seems like your smart and will turn around things in time to get into Michigan. How about contacting university offices and telling them about whats going on? They usually respond fast and have good advice. They may suggest some classes you could take outside of your highschool settig to get credits to improve your gpa.
Can I apply to college without the help of my guidance counselor?
No, you can still send your applications out. Check the deadline for the colleges you want to apply for because they're all different. A lot of them don't even have deadlines until spring. I applied to UMass Amherst the night of the deadline online, and here I am as a junior! Just look at the requirements to apply, such as the application form, a check, recommendation letters and an essay (usually what's needed) and gather all of it together and send it in yourself. If your trouble is recommendation letters, just ask teachers, bosses, mentors, etc. to write one for you (preferably with stationary from the school, workplace, etc) and then pick them up and make lots of copies to send out en mass. You don't need a guidance counselor to do that for you, seems like she's just babying everyone. Do it yourself (colleges expect you to do it by yourself anyway) and you'll already look better to your prospective college.
I'm not sure I can finish college. How do I know if I should drop out? FOR NOW.?
This is my second year in college and I'm beginning to rethink my major. I really hate the classes I am taking now and its really bothering me. Should I withdraw from college until I decide what I want to do with my life (b/c i have no idea) or is it possible for me to change my major to general classes in the middle of the semester? is that possible. I am just so confused about what to do. I have been thinking about it constantly for a while know and I can not seem to come up with a reasonable solution.
Is it better to get As in regular/honors classes as a junior, or take an AP class and get a B?
Here, you are referring to three different academic levels: regular, honors, and AP.You need to take classes appropriate for your academic level. If a teacher or counselor recommends that you take regular classes instead of honors, because they feel you are going to perform at C or lower, then regular would be better. However, if you are deemed academically prepared for honors, then you should take honors.AP classes are good to take if you are willing and ready to take on college-level work. AP classes aren’t suitable for every student and some students shouldn’t be taking every AP class offered. For example, a students who is academically stronger in English and history might opt to take AP but take honors for math and science.Ivy League bound students should take as many AP classes that they are interested in and can handle. The Ivy League is just way too competitive. It is not the same as 30 or 40 years ago when AP didn’t matter as much because only “elite” high schools offered such courses. AP is much more mainstream now and if your high school offers some AP classes, it is pretty much expected that Ivy League bound students take some of these classes and excel on AP exams. You better have a really good reason for not taking AP and explain in an optional essay if applying to a top-20 school, else you will be at a serious disadvantage in the admissions process. It may be true that there are some students with few or no AP classes gaining admission to schools like Harvard and MIT, but these are very rare cases and under exceptional circumstances why these particular students opted not to take AP. The majority of applicants today do not fall under this special category. You are expected to take as many challenging courses that interest you as possible.
Should I reduce the number of AP classes that I'm taking next year?
It would help if you provided more information on what AP classes you're planning to take, what classes you've taken so far, what your academic interests are and what other activities you are involved in outside of school.My junior year, I was only enrolled in 2 AP classes (English, U.S. History). However, I was also enrolled in Honors Pre-Calc, Honors Physics (not AP as i had not yet taken physics and that was a requirement in my district) and some other graduation requirements. This is also while keeping a part-time job and playing two sports. It was manageable. I would say that if you have been a straight A student in your non-AP classes AND you don't have too many activities going on after school and on the weekend then it is probably manageable. However, you should really think more about how these classes are going to contribute to your overall education. For example, I knew that I was planning to major in engineering so I didn't attempt to take AP European History or AP Psychology as electives. I chose instead to play sports, participate in choir and take the highest available class for all of my core subjects. This resulted in my taking a total of 6 AP classes over the course of my Junior and Senior years (Calculus BC, English Composition, English Literature, US History, Economics, Government).For college admissions, you want to make sure that your high school experience will stand out from everyone else's. Taking a lot of AP classes alone will not do that. Make sure that both your classes and your extra-curriculars are in things that you enjoy and are passionate about. That will tell the admissions officer a lot more than just having a lot of AP courses on your application.
How well do high school students understand debt before getting student loans for college?
I do volunteer work at a local high school. My favorite activity is helping out in Economics class. This is a typical Midwest high school in a middle class community. The students are juniors and seniors. They all plan to go to college. They seem pretty smart to me.I use the old “Chessboard and Grain of Rice” story to teach compound interest. This is a YUGE hit.Tapping the Power of Compound InterestThese kids know what a loan is and grasp compound interest. (They have been taught a lot more advanced economic concepts than that by their teacher.)The problem is that they are immersed in cultural messaging that comes from their parents, teachers, guidance counselors, organizations such as the College Board, politicians, fellow students, pop culture, etc.It’s the same message over and over,“You have to go to college.”Implicit in that message is that it is understood that, given today’s high costs, borrowing money is necessary and OK.In the late 1960’s I remember reading Marshall McLuhan’s book, War and Peace in the Global Village.One quote stood out:“One thing about which fish know exactly nothing is water, since they have no anti-environment which would enable them to perceive the element they live in.”Translated this means teenagers think they just have to go to college, and they don’t understand how risky borrowing money is to finance their post-secondary education.They can’t conceive of a future where they don’t graduate from college and get a good job.What I can’t conceive of is “where in the Hell are these kids’ parents when they are borrowing all this money?”